2. Well, Notice being taken that a motion to sin i• present, what follows, but that the fancy or imagination of the Soul taketh it home to it, and doth no• only look upon it and behold it more narrowly, bu• begins to trick and trim up the sin to the pleasing o• it self and of all the Powers of the Soul. That this is true, is evident, because God findeth fault with th• imagination as with that which lendeth to sin, th• first hand, and that giveth to it the first lift toward its being helped forward to act. And nGod sa• that the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth (tha• ⟨p. 75⟩o•s, many abominable actions were done: for all flesh had corrupted God's way upon the Earth.) But how came this to be so? why, every imagination of the thoughts, or of the motions that were in the Heart to sin, was evil, only evil, and that continually. The imagination of the thoughts was evil, that is, such as tended not to deaden or stifle, but such as tended to animate and forward the motions or thoughts of sin into action; every imagination of the thoughts, that which is here called a thought, is by Paul to the Romans called a motion: now the imagination should and would, had it been on God's side, so have conceived of this motion of and to sins, as to have presented it in all its features so ugly, so ill favoured and so unreasonable a thing to the Soul, that the Soul should forthwith have let down the Sluice, and pulled up the Draw bridge, put a stop with greatest defiance to the motion now under consideration: but the imagination being defiled, it presently at the very first view or noise of the motion of sin, so acted as to forward the bringing the said motion or thought into act. So then, the thought of sin, or motion thereto, is first of all entertained by the imagination and fancy of the Soul, and thence conveyed to the rest of the Powers of the Soul to be condemned, if the imagination be good; but to be helped forward to the act, if the imagination be evil. And thus the evil imagination helpeth the motion of, and to, sin towards the act, even by dressing of it up in that guise and habit that may best delude the Understanding Judgment and Conscience: and that is done after this manner; Suppose a motion of sin to commit fornication, to swear, to steal, to act covetously, or the like, be propounded to the fancy and imagination;
2. Well, Notice being taken that a motion to sin i• present, what follows, but that the fancy or im•gi•nation of the Soul taketh it home to it, and doth no• only look upon it and behold it more narrowly, bu• begins to trick and trim up the sin to the pleasing o• it self and of all the Powers of the Soul. That this is true, is evident, because God findeth fault with th• imagination as with that which lendeth to sin, th• first hand, and that giveth to it the first lift toward its being helped forward to act. And nGod sa• that the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth (tha• ⟨p. 75⟩o•s, many abominable actions were done: for all flesh had corrupted God's way upon the Earth.) But how came this to be so? why, every imagination of the thoughts, or of the motions that were in the Heart to sin, was evil, •nly evil, and that continually. The imagination of the thoughts was evil, that is, such as tended not to deaden or stifle, but such as tended to animate and forward the motions or thoughts of sin into action; every imagination of the thoughts, that which is here called a thought, is by Paul to the Romans called a motion: now the imagination should and would, had it been on God's side, so have conceived of this motion of and to sins, as to have presented it in all its features so ugly, so ill favoured and so unreasonable a thing to the Soul, that the Soul should forthwith have let down the Sluce, and pulled up the Draw bridge, put a stop with greatest defiance to the motion now under consideration: but the imagination being defiled, it presently at the very first view or noise of the motion of sin, so acted as to forward the bringing the said motion or thought into act. So then, the thought of sin, or motion thereto, is first of all entertained by the imagination and fancy of the Soul, and thence conveyed to the rest of the Powers of the Soul to be condemned, if the imagination be good; but to be helped forward to the act, if the imagination be evil. And thus the evil imagination helpeth the motion of, and to, sin towards the act, even by dressing of it up in that guise and habit that may best delude the Understanding Judgment and Conscience: and that is done after this manner; Suppose a motion of sin to commit fornication, to swear, to steal, to act covetously, or the like, be propounded to the fancy and imagination;
- nRom. 7. 5.
- oGen. 6. 5, 12, 13.
